Comfort and Loss
by Dr.Indigo
Summary: A gripping tale about the heartache of losing true love and the rapture of finding it anew. As told from the perspectives of everyone's favorite canine half-blood and his new mate. Rated T for mild suggestive themes. May not be suitable for younger readers.
1. Chapter 1: Morning Routines

Hello everyone, Dr. Indigo here, and welcome to the first chapter of my latest fanfiction project. As of this point I don't have a whole lot to say about it, other than that it is a story for the Balto franchise (which is owned by Universal and not me), and that it will be about 3 to 4 chapters in total, depending on whether or not I choose to write an epilogue. So without further ado, let's just get this show on the road. Enjoy.

Chapter 1: Morning Routines.

Warmth…

That was always the first thing to return whenever sleep released its grip on his senses.

Whether it was from the embers in the fireplace beside his bed or the breath of the dog he chose to share it with, the warmth was always the first thing he noticed. Not that this was problem. In fact, he couldn't imagine a more pleasant thing to wake up to in the morning.

Usually by the time the warmth reached his bones his other senses would start to kick in. First his ears would be treated to the melodious sound of the local loons accompanied by the oh-so adorable snoring of his bedmate. Next his nose would start to twitch, stimulated either by the greasy aroma of meat cooking in the kitchen or by the flowery sweet scent of perfumed fur. Sometime after that his eyes would open and then his day would begin.

This was the typical morning routine for Balto and today was no exception.

As the last lingering vestiges of sleep finally faded from his body, the noble wolf-dog let out a yawn and slowly lifted himself off the large red cushion that was his bed; taking special care not to disturb his still slumbering mate. Though she was just a dainty little thing, she had a great responsibility, so she needed to rest a little longer than he did. And besides he liked watching her sleep, all curled up like a little ball of cuddlesome fluff. She was almost too adorable for words.

Before he could gaze much longer upon his dozing lover, Balto's stomach let out a low growl, telling him it was time for breakfast. So without any further delay, the handsome half-blood gave his spine a quick stretch and quietly walked off toward the kitchen, where their owner was undoubtedly preparing their first meal of the day.

'Owner…' he said internally, mulling over the word as if this was the first time he had ever heard it. 'Never thought I'd see the day…'

And to be perfectly frank neither did anyone else. In spite of his elevating standing among the community, Balto's less than laudable lineage was still enough to put most humans on edge. So the likelihood of him ever being permanently welcomed into someone's home was always extremely slim. That is of course until he met Ms. Dorothy.

Oh… Ms. Dorothy, wife of the local butcher and just about the kindest woman you'd ever want to meet. She had another name of course, like all humans did, but since the animal folk never needed such things to tell each other apart Balto never bothered to learn it. No, to him she was just Ms. Dorothy and that was enough. For what other name could properly describe such a woman. Ms. Dorothy, who took him in to her home and gave him a warm bed to sleep in. Ms. Dorothy, who fed him delicious cuts of exotic meats three times a day. Ms. Dorothy, who washed and brushed his shaggy coat and gave him pleasant scratches behind the ears. Indeed, what a truly wonderful woman she was to take in one such as him, even if she could get a bit too touchy-feely for his liking.

"Good morning," said a honeyed voice as the handsome half-blood as he entered the kitchen. "Sleep well Mr. Balto?"

Balto replied with a polite 'Yes ma'am', though to her ears it sounded more like 'Bark Bark'.

"Glad to hear it," she replied with playful giggle, pretending that they were having a real conversation. "I'll bet you're hungry, aren't you boy?"

In spite of his fondness for Ms. Dorothy, the noble wolf-dog was still a bit uncomfortable with being called 'boy'. However, he hid his discomfort, not wanting to appear rude, and merely nodded in response.

"Well that's just perfect," she said before breaking into a little sing-song speech. "Because~ I've got something extra special for you today~ a nice, juicy, steak~"

At the end of that last little line of sing-song she held up the meat in question and it was truly a thing of beauty; Two inches thick, five inches long, laced with delicious fat, and still dripping with blood. Dorothy giggled when she saw how mesmerized he was by the raw slab of cow flesh; she even held it up to his nose just to tease him a bit. However, just as his instincts kicked in and he tried to gobble up the delectable morsel, she pulled it just out of his reach; causing her to let out another playful giggle.

"No, no, no, my little Prince, be patient~" Ms. Dorothy said playfully, wagging her index finger in mock disapproval. "This particular little steaky-wakey comes to us all the way from the Orient. My Henry used a few of his extra-special connections to have it shipped to our sleepy little town for an extra-special client, and he was nice enough to let me have some samples to give to you and my little Princess~" There was a hint of mischief in her voice as she spoke; still dangling the bloody morsel just inches out of reach. "So since this is such an extra-special treat, I think _somebody _should have to earn it first~"

Balto resisted the urge to wince. He knew all too well where this was going. A short time after he had begun living with Ms. Dorothy, one of her lady friends suggested that she instill a few basic commands into him; just in case any of his _baser instincts _ever kicked in. A ridiculous and completely unnecessary notion, but unfortunately his new master was all for it. So for the next several weeks the noble wolf-dog was put through a rigorous, not to mention humiliating, training regimen and by the time it was finally over he was perfectly conditioned to perform over a dozen tricks at his giggling master's command.

For several months afterward, Ms. Dorothy would bring him out whenever they had company and make him perform for them like a Circus Poodle. She would make him sit-up, laydown, rollover, speak, beg, shake hands, and host of other simple tricks which, while always met with applause and complements, were completely degrading. Luckily however the novelty of his tricks eventually wore off and his master ceased making him perform for guests. However, every so often, the butcher's wife would make up some excuse to try out her commands and it looked like now was one of times.

"Now then Mr. Balto," the human woman said in a sweet yet command tone. "Sit for Mama."

Balto obeyed without resistance. Not that it would've made much difference if he tried. In spite of being a bit flighty, Ms. Dorothy turned out to be a superb dog trainer.

"Good boy, now speak."

Again Balto obeyed, responding with three quick barks. They didn't mean anything in particular. Though Ms. Dorothy had sworn on several occasions that he was saying 'I Love You'.

"Oh, my, my, my, so smart _and _handsome; no wonder my little Sweetie Pie loves you so much." She said affectionately. "Alrighty then, just one more and you get your treat. Balto… Beg."

A split-second after the command was given Balto went into position. He raised his two front legs up and pointed his paws downward in a submissive fashion. Then he turned his snout in a similar downward fashion and began to whimper pleadingly. Of all the tricks the noble half-blood had had instilled into his brain, this one was the most humiliating. Unfortunately it was also Ms. Dorothy's absolute favorite.

"Aw~ You are just too adorable~" the butcher's wife cooed sweetly as she knelt down to his level and began to scratch him behind the ears. "You're just my perfect little Prince aren't you? Yes you are~ Yes you are~"

Although these tricks were always degrading, Balto could never bring himself to be angry at Ms. Dorothy for making him perform them. She never meant any harm and she was always quick to reward him with lots of praise and affection; so really a few brief moments of humiliation here and there were a small price to pay.

"Oh~ You're such a good boy Mr. Balto. Yes you are. Yes you are. And good boys deserve their rewards~" she said as she held the desired cut of meat up to his waiting maw. "Go on sweetie, eat it all up, you've earned it."

Not needing to be told twice, the noble, if somewhat domesticated, wolf-dog gladly ate the succulent morsel out of his master's hand. Much to his delight, the raw steak was just as toothsome as advertised. The tender flesh, the scrumptious fat, it was an absolute taste sensation. It was almost a tragedy when he finally had to swallow.

"My, my, you were hungry weren't you boy?" she asked in a playful yet motherly tone. "And did my handsome little Prince enjoy his breakfast?"

Balto said nothing, opting to instead lick the residual blood off his lips; fortunately Ms. Dorothy took that as a 'yes'.

"Glad to hear it," said the butcher's wife as she stood up and walked back to her cutting board. "But just remember, no more until lunch. I can't have my little Princey-Poo getting all chubby-wubby~"

And with that said she grabbed her cleaver and began hacking away at the other steak she had set aside. With skill and quickness equal to that of her husband, Ms. Dorothy chopped the bloody slab into bite sized cubes. Once that was finished, she lifted up the left side of the cutting board and carefully slid all of the meaty chunks into a polished silver bowl.

"Hmm, I do believe I hear my little Princess waking up." She said as she knelt down once again; this time with the silver dog dish in hand. "I bet she'd just love it if her hubby brought her breakfast in bed. Don't you think?"

Ms. Dorothy was nothing if not odd, but she was well versed in the ways of romance; or dog breeding, depending on your perspective. And Balto had learned long ago that whenever she told him to do something in regards to his mate, it was usually a good idea to listen to her. So he took silver bowl in his teeth and, after giving a respectful nod to his peculiar master, walked back into the living room; taking special care not to drop a single scrap of scrumptious meat.

Much to his elation, Ms. Dorothy had been correct; his beloved was indeed beginning to stir form her slumber. This was just too perfect; for although he would never voice this in the company of other canines, he really did think of _her _as his Princess and what better way for a Princess to wake up, than to be served breakfast in bed by her beloved Prince.

As he approached the crimson cushion that was his bed, Balto paused for just a moment to take in the form of the creature he shared it with. Part of him still couldn't believe this was real; eighteen months ago he would've never thought he'd end up with a dog like her and not for the reasons one might think. For one thing she was very… small, much smaller than himself; at least one-third his own size, if he had to guess. And while he had never been one to put too much stock in a female's appearance, back then, ideally, he would've preferred to stay with one a little closer to his body type; if for no other reason than familiarity. Secondly there was the matter of her personality. His current mate was, for lack of a better phrase, not the brightest star in the sky. She wasn't stupid, at least not as much as everyone thought, but she was a bit ditzy, had a tendency to mix-up her vocabulary, and seemed to think about grooming more than anything else; none of which were qualities he particularly desired in a mate even to this day. Lastly there was the little matter of her breed. Unlike his previous lover, she was not a husky, and while he wasn't technically one either, they did bare enough of a resemblance to himself to make him feel comfortable around them; once again, tying into his desire for the familiar. Indeed, over a year ago he never would have pictured himself falling for a dog like her, but then again that was before the _**incident**_.

Since then he had learned a great deal; about love and about himself. For instance, a short time after the _**incident **_he learned that familiarity, while comforting, is vastly overrated. Sometimes in order to move forward, one must be willing to embrace the new and different. And sometimes when one embraces the unfamiliar they discover things they never imagined. In the case of the tiny Pomeranian he had chosen as his mate, Balto discovered that beneath her skin-deep vanity and apparent lack of intelligence there was the soul of an angel. She was sweet, empathetic, nurturing, and possessed some of the finest maternal instincts he had ever seen; which she would come in handy in the near future. All that, coupled with a newfound appreciation for her adorably compact size, and the stoic wolf-dog was forced to admit that he had found his perfect life partner.

A gentle yawn quickly brought him back to reality and he soon found himself face-to-face with his no longer sleeping beauty. Even with her advanced state of bedhead, she was still a vision of loveliness. Her white and pale-lavender fur was still frizzed up from her extended slumber; giving her the appearance of a lady's powder-puff. Her eyes, though still somewhat glazed, sparkled like the precious gems that they were. Indeed every inch of her, from perfectly manicured paws to her beautiful bushy tail right down to that cute little beauty mark on her left cheek, was absolutely ravishing. But of course her most attractive feature, at least from his perspective, was her swollen belly. Whereas some dogs might find such a thing repulsive, he saw it as a sign of wonderful things to come. To him it made her look like a glorious goddess of love and fertility.

"Morning Sweetie…" she said with another tiny yawn; her voice like that of a young fairy. "Oh, is all that for little old me? You shouldn't have."

Carefully, Balto placed the sliver dish on the floor in front of her, freeing his mouth to give an answer.

"Don't be ridiculous." He said in a calm yet affectionate tone. "Nothing's too good for you Dixie."

End Notes: One chapter down and only two or three more to go. I hope you all enjoyed the setup and please feel free to write a review before you leave. Constructive Criticism is encouraged but all rude or insulting remarks will be removed so if you don't like this series or this pairing don't berate me about it by using foul language. I mean it. Anyway, see in the next one. Peace.


	2. Chapter 2: Forward and Back

Hello and welcome to the next chapter of Comfort and Loss. A couple things to get out of the way before we start. 1. I do not own the Balto franchise or any of its characters. That honor belongs to Universal. 2. Although I fully intend to finish this story with no less than 3 chapters, this will be the last chapter posted until mid-December. You see, I'm graduating from college this semester with a double major in English and History, and before that I have 3 English papers due at the end of the month. Then after that I have final exams and the point is I won't have as much time to dedicate to writing Fan Fiction until after graduation. So please be patient while waiting for Chapter 3. 3. Sunday is my Birthday. I'm turning 23. So if you like this story, please send me a shout out. With all that said please enjoy.

Chapter 2: Looking Forward and Looking Back.

Full…

Such a peculiar word don't you think? Only four letters and yet it has such a multitude of meanings.

For example, one definition refers to a state of being in which something that was once empty or hollow suddenly becomes filled to capacity. Humans, and certain types of animals like dogs or cats, sometimes use this word to describe the condition of certain parts of their anatomy; almost always referring to either the stomach, the heart or the brain. In the case of the mate of a certain local hero, two of these three sayings presently applied.

No one ever accused Dixie of having a full head, unless of course the word full was accompanied by either 'of rocks' or 'of air', but she had long since made a habit of not letting such things trouble her; especially on days like this one, when her heart and, if only for the moment, her stomach were so wonderfully full. The sound of his strong masculine heart beating against her ear, the gentle stroke of his right front paw against her bloated belly, the oh-so adorable way he would nip at her ears just to make her giggle; it was like the Pom's entire body had been filled with sugar-coated liquid flame. This coupled with the scrumptious feast of slaughtered, blood-soaked beef currently resting in her swollen stomach made her feel as though she had reached a state of pure saccharine bliss. Unfortunately there was another meaning of the word fullthat also presently applied to the Half-Blood's lover and it was far less flattering than the first.

For you see, the word full can also be used to describe the state of a creature's figure, or to put it more bluntly full can be used as a polite substitute for _fat_. And although Dixie was loath to admit it, she had gotten very, very fat in recent months. Not that she regretted it mind you, heavens no, she knew this would happen the moment she gave her heart to him, but still it was quite painful for one such as her to watch her body go so quickly. Weeks of excessive snacking had not only given her a bloated belly, but also fattened up her face and rounded out her rump. She knew she wouldn't remain this size forever, but she also knew she'd never be original size again either and that was more than enough to put a serious dent in her ideal self-image. But on the other hand, the extra weight did come with a few advantages.

Firstly, because of her new physique Dixie had trouble walking long distances, so Balto insisted that he carry her on his back whenever they went out. As childish as it might sound, the little Pom found it quite enjoyable to be paraded around town on the back of such a strapping young specimen; it made her feel like a princess. Well, more of a princess anyway. Second, in addition to carrying her around town like the queen of her own parade, her handsome half-blood had also gone out of his way over the last few weeks just to make sure she felt secure in her new size. He would constantly shower her with complements, cuddle with her whenever and wherever she wanted, and on some occasions she was even able to get him to use Pet Names; something her luscious lover was a bit too reluctant to do under normal circumstances. Dixie hated taking advantage of him like that, but she just couldn't help it; all this extra doting made her Sweetie even more unbelievably adorable than he already was. As for the third advantage, well… that one pretty much goes without saying.

It had been about ten minutes since Dixie finished her breakfast and since it was still very early in the day the two lovers decided that for the moment they would just enjoy the pleasure of each other's company; before worrying about what they would do with the rest of the day.

As they laid together on the large crimson pillow that was their bed, Balto continued to caress his beloved's swollen stomach and playfully nip at her pointed ears; much to her delight. However it wasn't long before their blissful silence was broken by a single question.

"So Dixie," the handsome half-blood said softly in an attempt to strike up a conversation. "What did you think of breakfast?"

"Oh Honey, it was abso-tively scrumptious!" she answered in her trademark cutesy tone. "Dorothy really outdid herself this time."

"I'll say. No wonder she made me work for mine."

At this the pampered Pom's tiny ears began to perk.

"Oh really?" she asked playfully; her sugary voice laced with sinful innuendos. "Did she make you… show her your _tummy_~?"

"No, not this time, thankfully." Balto answered, sounding more than slightly embarrassed. Were it not for his thick fur, Dixie would have seen his face turn bright red.

"Too bad, that one's my favorite." the smaller dog said in a mock pout. "Sure wish I could make you do that. Then I could give you my Extra-Special _Tummy Rubs _anytime I want~ even when you say you're too tired~"

The wolf-dog's embarrassment, as well as his unseen blush, intensified, much to Dixie's amusement. As much as she loved her handsome hubby, messing with him like this was just too tempting. He just looked so cute whenever he got this flustered and flustered he most certainly was. So much so that he immediately attempted to shift the conversation into a less provocative direction.

"So… Dixie… um…" he stammered, trying to think of a new talking point. For what felt like an eternity his eyes darted about the room, looking for something, anything to use as an excuse to end this awkward moment. Then his eyes fell upon his lover's bloated stomach and he let out a sigh of relief. "So… Dixie, how many do you think there will be?"

Now it was Dixie's turn to feel embarrassed, although for completely different reasons. This question hadn't crossed her mind before, but by all rights it really should have. Expectant mothers were supposed to think about these things weren't they?

"Oh, well… I'm not really sure." The pampered Pom said as she pondered this question for a moment. "When I was growing up I had two sisters, but our momma always told us that she was an only child. So I guess somewhere between one and three… maybe."

"Huh, only about three eh?" he asked, though more for the sake of thinking aloud than trying to get an answer. "I was hoping for a few more, but I guess that just makes the ones we'll get all the more special."

"Exactly, and our puppies will be the cutesy wootsiest little darlings in the whole wide world." The smaller dog said with a fairy-like giggle. Just the thought of all the tiny, fluffy, yipping bundles of joy that would soon be scampering about their home was enough to fill her heart with unbridled maternal bliss. However, this bliss was soon broken when she noticed a dark look washing over her lover's face. "Balto, what's the matter?"

"It's just…" he said with a soft and slightly melancholy tone. "What if they're… like me."

"Now don't start that again!" Dixie answered, sounding more than a little annoyed. "I already told you, our puppies are going to be the sweetest and most adorable puppies in the entire world; no matter what they are or what they look like. And anyone who says different will have to deal with me!"

The pampered Pom let out a little snarl and bared her teeth to emphasize her point; though the effect was more humorous than threatening. Still it made the noble wolf-dog feel better to know that his children would have a mother so eager to protect them should their _lineage_ ever cause them any trouble.

"Well, that makes me feel better." Balto said playfully, a smile spread across his snout. "I know I wouldn't want to mess with you."

At this the smaller dog let out another fairy laugh.

"Oh you wouldn't would you?" she asked, sounding just as playful as her mate. "Well, then you just better make sure you stay on my good side. Otherwise I might mess you up."

The couple shared a tender laugh, each finding their own unique source of amusement what had just been said. Then once they had had their fill they resumed cuddling in silence.

As Dixie rested her head against the half-blood's chest she thought back to the days before they had become lovers; back when he was still with Jenna. Back then no one ever thought they'd end up together, largely because everyone thought he'd be with Jenna until the day he died; funny how something as insignificant as a rat could turn the entire world upside-down, but then again that's life she supposed.

At any rate, Balto remained in isolation for several weeks after the _**incident**_, only coming into town to find sustenance and even then he rarely spoke to anyone. All the other dogs knew what he was going through so nobody pried. Not that they needed to, for after all a dog's life is relatively short and even with his added wolf blood the handsome half-breed knew he couldn't mourn forever. That's why after only a little over a month of sorrowful self-imposed exile, Balto began the long and difficult task of finding a new mate.

Fortunately this proved to be a much easier task than it was the first time. Since replacing Steele as the town's hero and alpha dog, all the lovely ladies who once wouldn't even give him the time of day suddenly found him irresistible. Thinking about this made Dixie want to chastise all those girls for being so shallow and fickle, but she soon remembered that at the time she hadn't been much better so she just dismissed the idea and moved on with her recollection.

Now Dixie hadn't exactly been Balto's first choice for a new mate. As a matter of fact she had been his seventh. Before realizing that they were made for each other the handsome half-blood went through relationships with six other dogs; each one ending with varying degrees of failure.

First he tried to forge a relationship with Eska, a lovely young husky who bore a striking resemblance to Jenna, only with a silver coat. At first everything was fine, they got along quite well and she genuinely seemed interested in making a life together. However, two weeks into their love affair Eska accidently let it slip that she still harbored some prejudices about his lineage, which led him to believe that she was going out with him for the attention. Well it was all downhill from there and eventually the relationship ended with lots of yelling and inappropriate name-calling.

After that fiasco, the noble wolf-dog tried his luck with another husky, a slightly younger maiden by the name of Bubbles. Oh what a train wreck that was. And people thought Dixie was an idiot. Where the tiny Pom had a habit mixing up certain words, Bubbles forgot names. Over the course of their three day relationship she called him Bingo, Bongo, Billy, Baron, Byron, Bjorn, Bjork, Bernard, and on more than one occasion Elizabeth. Needless to say Balto saw no future with this girl.

A short time after that he started dating yet another young husky, this one named Adelaide. There wasn't anything wrong with her, but they had trouble connecting on an emotional level so the relationship died within a week.

After Adelaide, Balto backed off from the dating scene for a little while; the emotional whiplash of three failed relationships after such a horrific tragedy was apparently more than he could handle at the time. During this brief respite he had an epiphany. He realized that limiting himself only to huskies was both a means for him to cling to the past and a detriment to any future happiness he might achieve. So when he finally returned to the dating circuit the noble half-blood decided to widen his range.

To this end, he sought out one of Jenna's closest friends, Sylvie the Afghan. Unfortunately this relationship didn't last as long as he'd hope. He found Sylvie to be a bit too _**eager**_ for his liking. Now dogs may move on a bit faster than humans, but trying to get into bed with someone on the first date; that was too fast even for a canine. Though in Sylvie's defense, she had been out of the dating circuit herself for quite some time and her instincts were a bit rusty. Nevertheless their love affair ended before it ever really began.

Sometime after that he began seeing Pricilla, a pug. She was… nice, in her own way, but were a couple of things about her that bothered him. First there was her incessant need to call him Pookums, even when they were in public. Second there was the little matter of her eating habits. She ate more like a pig than a dog and she held no inhibitions about belching whenever and wherever she pleased. Lastly, as you may have already guessed, Pricilla was very _**full**_ for a dog her size, if you catch my meaning. And although Balto was never one to put much stock into a lady's appearance even he had his limits. So after a week and a half they broke it off.

Then there was Fifi, the local French poodle. Of all the relationships the noble half-blood had between losing Jenna and finding Dixie that one was the most enjoyable. Fifi, although a bit snooty, was very sweet and loving. Oh they had such a wonderful time together, wonderful enough to renew his faith in ever finding true love again. Unfortunately Fifi wasn't at all interested in starting a family. So even though they enjoyed each other's company immensely, they eventually realized it was best if they just remained friends.

Not long after that, Balto got together with Dixie and the rest, as they say, is history.

In all honesty, the pampered Pom still had trouble believing that this was real. Sure it felt real, but then again so do all dreams. Some days, when she woke up to find herself alone in bed, she half expected to learn that her beloved half-blood still with Jenna, but of course this was never the case.

Still, it was a tough pill to swallow that such happiness could be born from such a horrific tragedy. That such a loving relationship could be forged from the bite of a single rat. That a family could be created from a single case of ra… ra… ra… oh dear!

Dixie's lengthy stroll through the garden of her mind was suddenly halted by an overwhelming pain emanating from her stomach. It was as if something deep within was pushing through her insides trying to get out. Although this sensation was unfamiliar, the tiny dog knew exactly what it meant.

"Ooooooooooooo!" she howled in agony, unintentionally startling her mate. "They're coming!"

"Coming?" Balto asked, sounding more than a little panicky. "You mean right now?"

"Of course right now!" the tiny Pom snapped before letting out another howl. "Go get Dorothy! And hurry!"

Without hesitation the handsome half-blood obeyed and rushed into the kitchen to fetch their master.

"Oooooooooooooh! Please hurry!" Dixie moaned as a new wave of pain washed over her. "These cuties won't wait forever!"

End Notes: Sorry to leave you all hanging like this, but I promise the next chapter will be worth the long wait. As usual, any comments, critiques, or questions you may have are welcome and encouraged. Until we again fair reader.


	3. Chapter 3: Graveside Closure

Hello and welcome to the next chapter of Comfort and Loss. I apologize for the wait but I've had a lot of stuff on my plate the last few months; graduating, looking for a job, etc. Anyway, Balto and all of its characters are owned by Universal. The only thing I own is this story concept and the handful OCs I've created. So without further ado, enjoy.

Chapter 3: Graveside Closure.

The Bone Yard…

Final resting place of all Nome's non-human citizens.

This was not its proper name of course, the humans in their infinity wisdom had long ago chosen to dub this hallowed patch of earth the Nome Pet Cemetery, but to the local canine community such a title was much too bland to describe the burial ground of their fallen friends and family members so they called the Bone Yard. Perhaps not the most respectful of monikers, but it was one that satisfied the majority of the native pooch population and in the end that was all that really mattered.

At any rate, the Bone Yard, or Pet Cemetery, whichever you prefer, was in actuality just a small clearing about four or five miles to the east of town. For reasons none of the four-legged set fully understood the humans were strangely adamant about not sharing their graveyard with other species, so shortly after the town was founded they setup this little plot just for them. It was fairly small, compared to its human counterpart closer to town, and the four to five dozen crosses that dotted its landscape were of a slightly lesser quality than the standard models, but it was more than enough for the dogs of Nome and they were immensely grateful to have it.

On average, this humble patch of land received one or two visitors a week; canines not typically being the sort to visit graves unless they have to. However, on this particular day in early summer, the Bone Yard was visited by five of Nome's local dogs; each with their own purpose for being there.

It was about quarter past noon when the group reached its destination. To an outsider I imagine they must have looked quite odd, after all it's not every day you see a shaggy silver wolf-dog walking side-by-side with a small adorable Pomeranian with three smaller and considerably more adorable Poms following close behind, but at the time each of them were too lost in their own little worlds to be concerned about how mismatched their motley pack appeared.

Balto, as per usual, was at the head of this strange procession; serving as both navigator and pacesetter for the rest of his clan. Though from the look on his face it was difficult to tell if he was actually aware of their presence. His pale-yellow eyes were focused straight-ahead and his expression was so blank and emotionless that one could easily mistake him for one of those wood carvings the previous owners of this land had left behind.

Dixie, also as per usual, was at his side, keeping a surprising lively pace in spite of her short legs. However, what was completely unusual was the fact that her standard sugary smile had been replaced by a look of pure worry. Originally she and Balto had planned to take the pups on a playdate with their Uncle Boris, but for some reason that morning the handsome half-blood insisted that they take a quick detour to the Boneyard. Needless to say, this sudden need to visit the local burial ground worried the little powder-puff immensely, but she decided to just go along with it. She only hoped this wasn't the beginning of some morbid trend.

It had been almost two months since the puppies were born and for the most part life was perfect. Dixie had given birth to three happy, heathy, energetic little bundles of joy who, much to their father's relief, were each the spitting image of their mother; save for a few minor cosmetic differences. This meant that the majority of Balto's fears were finally put to rest; for since his three daughters bore almost no signs of their wolfish ancestry he knew they would have little trouble finding loving homes of their own one day. Unfortunately that one day wasn't too far off; hence the sudden need for a family outing.

Oblivious to this fact, as well as their parents' respective concerns, the three little puff-balls in question were happily scampering about at the older dog's heels; yipping merrily and playing nonsense games involving rolling around in the snow and climbing on top of each other. At the head of this micro-pack was Trixie, the oldest of the trio by a full six minutes. Like all of the pups she inherited most of her looks from her mother, save for her eyes which were the same pale yellow as her father's. Unlike her sisters, Trixie was something of a tomboy; always up for wrestling, tug o' war, or just plain rolling around in the dirt. In short, she acted more like a son than a daughter. Coming up close behind Trixie was her younger sister Daisy. Now Daisy was much more like her mother; almost an exact duplicate save for the tiny patches of silver that dotted her fur in random places. In stark contrast to her older sister, Daisy preferred games that allowed her to stay clean; which consisted almost exclusively of ones that involved others having to call her Princess. However, that's not to say that she didn't enjoy a game of Tag or Hide-and-Seek every now and then. Last but not least there was sweet little Petunia, the youngest of the trio. Of the three, she looked the most like their mother; bearing no visible resemblance to her father in any way. However, what really set her apart from sisters was her eating habits. To put it simply, Petunia was the kind of girl who loves to eat… a lot. It wasn't so much that she was a glutton, it was more that given the choice between eating and playing she would almost usually pick eating. She was always the first at her food dish and would sometimes try to use her cuteness to get Ms. Dorothy to give her a little more than her sisters; which resulted in her being quite a bit chubbier and slower than them as well. Overall however, Petunia was a very sweet little pup in spite of her appetite and she got along very well with her siblings as well as just about every other dog she knew; not to mention a goose, two polar bears, and that funny looking raven that she sometimes saw following her father.

At any rate, when this strange yet adorable procession finally reached its destination, Balto stopped just short of the Bone Yard's edge, effectively bringing the rest of them to a sudden halt. Trixie, who hadn't been paying attention at the time, ran nose-first into the backside of her father's right hind leg.

"OOOF!" the tiny pom said as she tumbled back in the snow. Lightly dazed, she quickly got back on her feet with little more than a sore snout. "What happened?"

"You weren't looking where you were going and bumped into Daddy, again." Answered Daisy in a slightly impish tone. "Because you're a big Goofball~"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Shhh!" said Dixie, instantly ending her children's silly argument before it could escalate into something more heated. "Sorry Sweeties, but you can't do that kind stuff here, this is a special place."

"Oh… okay Mama." Replied Trixie, though she didn't completely understand.

"Yes Mama." Chimed in Daisy, not wanting to get in trouble.

"Where are we anyway?" asked Petunia as she waddled up to reach her sisters. "I thought we were gonna go see Uncle Boris."

"We are Honey, we are. It's just…" Dixie paused for a moment as she wracked her brain for the best way to explain the situation. "It's just that… your Daddy has something he has to do here first."

"Like what?" asked Daisy out of childish curiosity.

"Well… you know… grown up stuff." Answered the slightly larger Pom as she not-so-subtlety danced around this very sensitive subject. "Just a second, I need to talk to Daddy."

And with that said she turned away from her pups to have a private conversation with her mate.

"Um… Balto, sweetie…" the tiny Pom said nervously to the much larger wolf-dog; whispering in order to prevent their children from hearing. "I know you need to do this, but are you _really_ sure you want to this today? Maybe it'd be better if you… you know…waited… at least until the K-I-D-D-S's are G-O-N."

"I've been putting this off for far too long already." Replied Balto somberly, not bothering to correct his lover's atrocious spelling. "If I don't do this now I never will. You and the girls go on ahead without me. I'll catch up as soon as I can."

"Okay… If you're sure." said Dixie, her voice laced with worry, before turning her attention back to her progeny. "Okay sweeties, time to go see Uncle Boris."

"Yay!" the pups all cheered as their mother began to lead them away from hallowed patch of earth.

"But what about Daddy?" asked Petunia as she waddled up behind the others.

"Oh… he'll meet us there in a little bit." The pampered Pom said nervously before thinking to herself, 'I hope.'

In spite of their boundless curiosity, the three young Poms obeyed their mother and followed her as she led them back towards their original destination. Within moments, they were gone and the shaggy wolf-dog was left alone with his thoughts.

'So… I guess it's now or never…' thought the handsome half-blood as he took a deep breath and began to slowly and tentatively make his way toward the heart of the Bone Yard. 'Now or never… Now or never…'

Balto had never been one to put too much stock in silly superstitions, but something about the Bone Yard always made him feel uneasy; almost like someone or something was watching him whenever he came near it. Of course, he knew consciously that this was just his imagination, but something in the back of his mind continued to tell him otherwise. This, however, was not the main reason for his current state of anxiousness. Oh no, this anxiety was rooted in something much more complicated than a childish fear ghosts.

Within moments the noble wolf-dog reached his ultimate destination; the dead center of the Bone Yard. Where, at long last, he came face-to-face with the source of his current emotionally anguish; a single, simple wooden cross with a dark orange bandana tied just above the axis. The cross, like all of the others, bore no name, for some reason the local humans thought it was too much trouble to carve a dog's name into a piece of wood, but it didn't matter. Dogs didn't need signs to tell them where something or someone was buried; they had much more _accurate _ways of locating these types of things. Scent, for example, was an especially effective marker. In this case, the scent of a certain scarlet husky was pivotal in leading the handsome half-blood directly to her final resting spot.

For what felt like an eternity, Balto just stood at the foot of the grave; not daring to go any further out of respect. Over and over again he told himself, 'It's now or never… Now or Never…' Then, after one final deep breath, the noble half-breed finally spoke the words he had longed to speak for many, many months.

"Hello Jenna," he began softly. "It's been a while hasn't it…"

The wooden cross gave no reply, but then again it wasn't supposed to. Today was not about conversation; today was about closure.

"I guess you're probably wondering why it took so long for me to come visit huh?" the wolf-dog asked rhetorically. "Well, I'd like to say that I had a good reason; that life just kept getting in the way, but we both know that's just an excuse. The truth is I… I…" Balto tried with all of his might to get it out but the words just seemed to die in his throat. Eventually however, he was able to force out the rest. "The truth is… I was afraid… afraid that if I saw your grave I'd… I'd have to admit that you were really dead."

Once again the cross said nothing, so the handsome wolf-dog just kept going.

"I know it sounds insane but… I guess, a part of me hoped you were somehow still alive." He explained, pausing only for a moment to fight back the tears welling up in his pale yellow eyes. "I mean… I go to bed dreaming of the day we have planned and when I wake up I hear from Star that your owners had to put you down because… because… it just seemed so unreal. I didn't want to believe it; I couldn't believe it. So I… I…"

Before Balto could finish, a strange sound cut him off. It was very faint, almost like something very, very small falling into a pile of snow. He spun his head around to look, but saw nothing save for the forest of crosses that surrounded him. So, with no immediate threat to delay him, the noble half-blood continued after letting out a remorseful sigh.

"I just couldn't handle it, so I shut myself off from the world for a while. I guess deep down I hoped it was all just a bad dream and eventually I would wake up… but eventually I had to let go of that fantasy so I started thinking about… well… other things." He paused momentarily to swallow something that had been building in the back of this throat, then continued. "For the longest time I honestly didn't know what to do. Life without you just seemed so… unbearable; I didn't know whether I should try to move on or just give up and, well… join you. If it hadn't been for Boris I don't think I'd even be here right now. Well, I'd probably be _here _but you know what I mean."

Yet again the cross did not speak and yet again this failed to deter the noble wolf-dog.

"Anyway, once I decided not to… _follow _you, I thought it might be best to try and replace you." There was a light shuffling in the snow several feet behind him, but he paid it no mind. "No, _replace_ isn't the right word; no one could ever _replace _you. But I confess I did try to. I tried with Eska and Adelaide and (_Shutter_) Bubbles, but I see now that it was folly; in more ways than one."

In the distance, the macabre call of a raven could be heard, which earned a startled yip from the mysterious figure wandering about the field of crosses, though once again Balto did not seem to notice.

"After those three failures I guess I tried to overcompensate by looking for someone completely different; though that didn't yield much better results. Sylvie was too forward, Pricilla was too… _much_, and although I really liked Fifi she didn't want children, so that was just another dead-end. I was beginning to think things would never get better… that is, until I… well, got to know Dixie a lot better."

The shuffling in the snow grew slightly louder as the unseen figure grew steadily closer. However the handsome half-blood was still too preoccupied to pay it any mind.

"I know it sounds bizarre, I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't been living it all these months, but Dixie and I are just, well, perfect for each other." He explained, his tone growing increasingly less forlorn. "I mean, she's not perfect, she can be a little flighty at times, but she's also very sweet and warm and affectionate. It's different than it was with you, but I still love it and I love her, and now we've got three beautiful daughters and our lives just couldn't be better." Balto caught himself in mid-ramble, then adopted a much more somber tone. "Anyway, that brings me to the _other _reason I came here."

Unbeknownst to the noble wolf-dog, the mysterious figure stalking him was now a mere two feet away and closing.

"You see, these last few months have been so wonderful, and yet for some reason I… I can't help but feel that it's somehow… _wrong_." He said, his voice positively dripping with remorse. "You died alone and afraid and I end up getting the family I always dreamed of, how is that fair? It's like the universe is playing a cruel joke on me; I get my perfect life at the cost of yours! It's all so…so… _perverse_!"

The mysterious figure was now less than a foot and a half behind him, though he still failed to notice.

"This new life, our children, none of it could have happened if you hadn't died. Every meal from Ms. Dorothy, every night of unbridled passion with Dixie; all of it comes from your death and it makes me sick!" he lamented as hot tears started streaming from his eyes. "That's the other reason I came. I know it sounds crazy, but if you could just… I don't know… send me a sign or something. Anything! Just to let me know that you're okay with this! That it's okay for me to be happy! Please!"

This time when Balto paused he was met not with silence, but instead with a gentle tap on his left hind leg, followed a soft _OOOF_ and the unmistakable sound of something very small and fluffy plopping down in the snow. He quickly spun around and much to his surprise he found Petunia sitting mere inches away from him; looking both concerned and curious.

"Hey Daddy…"

End Notes: Okay so this is the second to last chapter in this story. The next one will be the end. I originally mean for this one to be the end but I decided to just cut the chapter in half so wouldn't have to wait any longer for my brilliant story telling. With all that said I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion.


	4. Chapter 4: Full Disclosure

Hello everybody and welcome to the final chapter of Comfort and Loss. Before we begin, I would just like to thank my new friend Razska on Deviantart for creating the new cover page for this story. Seriously, this guy is super talented and his rates are extremely reasonable so you should totally check out his DA page whenever you have some free time. You won't regret it. As always, Balto and all its characters are the property of Universal, I own nothing except for my OCs. So without any further ado, I proudly present the final chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 4: Full Disclosure.

Awkward…

Awkward did not even _begin _to describe the complete and total unease of this situation.

Out of everything that had ever happened to him in his entire life, with the possible exception of nearly dying in a snowstorm, Balto could not, for the life of him, imagine a more unpleasant and potentially disastrous scenario than the one he was presently facing.

His daughter, his _youngest_ daughter, his sweet little Petunia, had apparently walked in on him just as he was relieving himself of the massive ball of grief and emotional turmoil that had been building up inside of him for far too long. Oh… the things he had said. How long had she been listening? How much had she heard? How much had she understood? So many questions, and the handsome half-blood suspected he wasn't going to like the answers.

For what felt like an eternity, the two dogs just stood there, staring into each other's eyes. The older canine looking quite distraught while the younger's expression was largely unreadable. The tension in the air was so thick it was almost too much to bear. Thankfully the silence was soon broken by the saccharine sound of the young pup's sugary voice.

"Daddy, are you okay?" she asked, sounding concerned. "You look kinda… yuck."

"Oh… I… I'm just fine, Sweetheart." He answered, sounding more nervous and stupid than he would've preferred. "But I don't… I don't understand, what are you doing here? Why aren't you with your mother?"

"Well, Mama said you had some stuff to do and since you looked so sad before I thought I'd keep you company."

"I see…" said the handsome half-blood, adopting a much more fatherly tone. "And does your Mama know you decided to stay behind?"

"Not exactly…" his daughter replied as she looked down at her paws to avert his gaze. "But Trixie and Daisy started arguing again, so she probably didn't notice when I snuck away."

"No… probably not." He reasoned. "Though she's sure to have noticed by now, and knowing her she's probably sick with worry."

The noble wolf-dog looked up from his youngest child for a moment. He looked toward the town, he saw no sign of his mate or his other offspring, so perhaps she hadn't noticed just yet; she could be a bit slow at times after all. But she would notice soon enough, possible once they arrived at the old wreck, perhaps sooner. Either way, Petunia needed to be returned immediately. So, after sparing Jenna's cross one final glace, he let out a sigh and spoke.

"Alright, come on Sweetheart." He said to her as he slowly began to move toward Nome. "I'm taking you back to your Mother before she has a fit."

"Oh… um… okay Daddy." The tiny Pom replied as she slowly waddled after him.

For about a minute or two they walked in silence, Balto walking extra slow to allow his chubby daughter to keep up. They were about three feet away from the edge of the Bone Yard when the silence was finally broken.

"Daddy, who's Jenna?" asked Petunia innocently, causing her father to nearly misstep as he walked.

He had been expecting her to ask something like that, but he had hoped she wouldn't be quite so blunt. He knew he couldn't lie to her, not about something like this, but he also knew he must handle the situation delicately; lest he emotionally scar his sweet little Creampuff.

"Why do you ask?" he began casually, attempting to act as if her question wasn't an extremely sensitive subject.

"Well… I've heard some of the other grownups in town say that name before, and then I heard you say it when you were talking to yourself, so I figured she must be important." Petunia answered innocently, unaware of her father's discomfort.

"I see…" Balto replied, dreading the answer to what he was going to ask next. "Sweetheart… what else did you hear?"

"Well…" said Petunia as she began to search her memory. "First I heard you say 'Jenna'. Then I think you said something about loving Mama. But after that my tummy started rumbling and I… um…"

"Started thinking about food?" the noble half-blood asked with more than a slight edge of hope in his voice.

"Uh-huh." The tiny Pom answered, sounding a little embarrassed. "So I guess I missed most of what you said earlier. Sorry Daddy."

"No, it's alright Sweetheart." Replied the noble half-blood before letting out a deep sigh of relief. It would seem that his daughter's irrepressible appetite had spared her, not to mention himself, from a rather long and potentially damaging explanation. For one brief and shining moment, the weary father felt completely at ease; only to have reality slammed right back in his face two seconds later.

"So who is she Daddy?" asked Petunia curiously, unaware of what she was doing to her father.

"Jenna was…" Balto began tentatively, not wanting to say or do anything that might upset his little angel. "She was someone I used to know, a long time ago."

"Oh…" she replied with some level of understanding before asking a follow-up question. "What do you mean 'used to'? Did she move away?"

"Not… exactly…" the handsome half-blood replied, feeling as though his insides were filled with broken glass. He really did not want to be having this conversation. Not now, and definitely not with _her_. "It's… a bit… complicated Sweetheart."

"Daddy… are you okay?" the tiny Pom asked concernedly.

"Of course I am," the noble wolf-dog lied unconvincingly. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you're crying."

Balto stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't noticed before, but Petunia was right; he was indeed crying. Not quite the hot streams he had been producing earlier, but he was still crying nonetheless. He was crying and his daughter was watching. _Not_ good.

"Daddy? Daddy, what's the matter?" the miniature puff-ball asked again, sounding even more concerned than before. "Are you hurt? Did you step on something?"

"No… no sweetie. I'm not hurt…" he lied again as he vainly attempted to wipe the tears from his eyes. "It's nothing… really."

"But if it's nothing then why are you crying?" Petunia asked yet again, sounding much more forceful than anyone had ever heard her sound before. "Daddy, please tell me what's wrong."

"I… I…" the handsome half-blood stuttered as he felt his stomach twist into a knot. "I… I can't Sweetheart. I just can't. I'm sorry."

"Is it… is it because I mentioned Jenna?" the tiny Pom asked, adopting a much more somber tone. "Did I make you cry Daddy? Is… is this my fault?"

In that moment, a new sensation filled the noble wolf-dog's extremely addled brain. One that seemed to completely overwhelm his senses; making him forget about all of the fear, pain, and loss that had consumed him mere moments ago. Balto had felt this sensation many times before over the last few months, but never before had it been so powerful. Parental Instinct had taken hold of his soul.

With the emotional muck that had been clouding his mind suddenly fading away, the handsome half-blood slowly turned toward his youngest daughter; his pale yellow yes burning with a newfound sense of purpose. Tentatively, he walked toward her, taking care not to upset any more than he already had. Once he was close enough he came to a halt and sat down right in front of her. Then, using the utmost of care, he gingerly wrapped his right front paw around her and pulled her in close for a much needed embrace.

"Shhh…" the older canine said in soft and soothing tone as he stroked his child's fluffy head with his free paw. "No… no Sweetheart. This isn't your fault. This isn't anyone's fault… except mine. I've been keeping so much from you, from everyone, because I thought I was protecting you, but all I've really been doing is torturing myself and pushing away everyone else. Well it stops now."

"I… I don't understand…" Petunia replied in a confused and somewhat less somber tone. "Daddy what are you talking about?"

"Well, it's… kind of a long story, but it's one I think you have a right to know." The noble half-blood said stoically, pausing only briefly to take quick, cleansing breath. "You see, a long time ago, before you and your sisters were born, before your mother and I fell in love, I was… something of an outsider. I didn't have any friends in town; except for one."

"Jenna?"

"Exactly." Balto answered, feeling increasingly more relaxed as each syllable seemed to make him feel ten pounds lighter. "She was my first real friend and she the time we spent together… well, it was the highlight of my life. Until I met your mother of course."

"Oh…" the tiny Pom said, not truly grasping the full context of her father's explanation, but still understanding enough to follow. "So what happened to her, Daddy? Where did she go?"

"Well she… she's gone Sweetheart." Balto continued to explain as his eyes began to grow misty once again. "She got really sick one day and… and…" He paused briefly as his brain worked to find a way to explain what came next. "Petunia, do you remember that old dachshund that used to live next door to us."

Petunia didn't answer, but instead nodded in reply.

"Do you remember what your mother and I told you when he got sick?"

His youngest daughter nodded again as the full scope, or at the very least what the young pup understood about the full scope, finally became clear to her.

"Daddy… I…" she began, only to be cut off when her father pulled her in for an even closer hug.

"Shh… It's okay Sweetheart." He said soothingly.

"But you're still crying."

"I know, but everything's going to be okay from now on, I promise." Balto vowed softly as the last lingering vestiges of pain and sadness oozed from his body in the form of several stray beads of salt water.

For what felt like an eternity the two canines just stood there at the edge of the Bone Yard; locked together in a solemn but loving embrace. Neither of them daring to say another word and neither of them needing too. However, after another minute or two, Balto finally broke the hug and looked down at his daughter with dry eyes and a warm smile.

"Alright Sweetheart, I think we've spent enough time in this place." He said in a fatherly tone as he slowly spun himself around and worked his way back onto his feet. "Now come on, your Mother's probably having a panic attack looking for you."

"Um… Okay Daddy." Replied Petunia as she too got back on her feet. "But… but what do I say to Mama, and Daisy, and Trixie about… well, about all this?"

"Don't worry about it Sweetie," he answered as a strange sense of ease suddenly enveloped his weary brain. "I'll handle everything."

With that said, the two canines made their way out of the Bone Yard and back toward the tiny town that was their home; the older slowing his natural pace to allow the younger to keep up.

Balto had begged for a sign that Jenna was alright with him moving on and in some odd way the universe had delivered. True, it wasn't a spiritual vision or a mystic anomaly in the sky, but the moment he saw his sweet little Petunia start to blame herself for his condition he knew he had to let go; not only for her sake, but for his own.

Until the day he died, Balto was never entirely sure if his daughter's timely appearance at Jenna's grave had been the work of a higher power and quite frankly he didn't really care. Because in that instant, he knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be. And that was good enough for him.

End Notes: Remember when I said this was the final chapter? Well I lied. There's also a short little epilogue. You can read it if you want, but it doesn't really add anything to the story. It's just something I whipped up at the last minute just for fun. Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed reading this story and I hope you all leave a nice review before you leave. See you during my next Fanfiction project. Peace.


	5. Epilogue: Pet Names and Farewells

Okay, folks here's the epilogue I promised you. This is your reward for having to wait so long for me to finish this story. Balto and all its characters are owned by Universal. Enjoy.

Epilogue: Pet Names and Farewells.

Bliss…

A state of perfect happiness or absolute joy.

Nowadays people tend to use this word rather loosely, though few have ever actually experienced it for themselves.

Balto was one of those special few.

The day had been exhausting, both physically and emotionally, but at long last night had fallen over the sleepy little town and all of its citizens were, in one way or another, beginning to ready themselves for a well-deserved rest.

In the kitchen of his beloved Ms. Dorothy, the noble wolf-dog sat in blissful silence as he watched his children sleep in their little bassinet. They had worn themselves out playing with their Uncle Boris so the trio had elected to go to bed almost immediately after dinner; with the exception of Petunia who had elected to go after seconds. At any rate, his three perfect little angels were now all fast asleep, each in their own unique way. Trixie was laying on her side with her limbs sprawled out in front of her; much the same way he had done before finding someone to share a bed with. Daisy, by way of contrast, was snoozing soundly curled up in cute little ball; much the same way her mother liked to whenever she got the chance. Petunia, like Daisy, also liked to sleep curled up in a ball, though she had a tendency to move around a lot whenever she slept. The handsome half-blood couldn't help but let out a small chuckled as he remembered all of the times the plump pup had unintentionally stolen her sisters' covers. In short, they were all simply too adorable for words, which made their father both happy and sad at the same time.

For you see, soon it would be time to put the little darlings up for adoption, in the hopes that they would find loving homes of their very own. In his heart, Balto knew that it was for the best, the girls would be much happier in the long run this way, but he still wished he could hold on to them for just a little longer. Unfortunately, both Dixie and Ms. Dorothy were adamant about having them adopted while they were still young. He understood why of course, humans love puppies, but then again, so did he.

However, regardless of how the noble half-blood felt about it, it would happen. Preparations had already been made; the giveaway was set to take place in less than two weeks. Naturally, the girls knew about any of this, but they would soon enough. He and Dixie had decided that they would tell them in the morning; preferably after they had all eaten breakfast. Indeed, it looked like tomorrow was going to be a very difficult day for everyone, but at least for the moment everything was perfect.

"Oh Poopsie~ I'm waiting~"

Speaking of perfect, the noble wolf-dog was suddenly brought back to the present by the all too familiar call of his mate. And judging from her tone she was in a particularly playful mood. So after sparing one final loving glance at his beloved progeny, he quietly crept out of the kitchen to join her.

Once back in the living room, Balto's eyes were met with a truly mesmerizing scene. Atop their shared bed, Dixie was laid out in a seductive pose; her eyes full of hunger and an impish smile spread across her muzzle. The dying embers in fireplace served as a backlight for her display; painting her in a faint but angelic glow. It literally took every ounce of willpower in the handsome half-blood's body to keep from drooling.

"There's my big, strong, and handsome Hubby." She cooed playfully. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry Dixie. After I got the girls to sleep I started thinking about tomorrow and…"

"Shhh…" she cut him off, while still maintaining her aura of enticement. "You can think about all that in the morning. Right now all you need to think about is _me_~"

Her voice was like sugarcoated butterfly's milk and it never failed to put his mind at ease.

"You're absolutely right, my cute little Sugar Plum." Balto replied, finally getting into the spirit of things. "What should we do first?"

"Oh, I was thinking I'd give you one of my extra special Tummy Rubs and see where it goes from there."

"Sounds good to me."

With the foreplay out of the way, the two dogs then surrendered themselves to their passions in the way only true lovers can.

However, unbeknownst to either of them, a shadowy figure was watching from the nearby window. It did not make its presence known, nor did it make even the slightest sound as it looked on as the two canines consummated their love. It just smiled before vanishing in a wisp of scarlet colored smoke.

End Notes: Chew on that ending for a while folksies.


End file.
